


falling slowly

by jaimelannister



Category: Glee
Genre: M/M, New York City
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-05
Updated: 2012-11-05
Packaged: 2017-11-17 15:17:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,478
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/552992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaimelannister/pseuds/jaimelannister
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's not a date.  They just went to see a musical.  And then danced together outside of a strip club.  And then continued to invade each other's personal space after that.  No big.</p>
            </blockquote>





	falling slowly

Blaine had cried during the musical.

If he was being honest, Jesse hadn’t known what to expect there. It was a tearjerker for plenty of people, but he didn’t know Blaine well enough to be able to make an accurate guess as to how he would react. He’d glanced Blaine’s way a couple times, one time getting the answer affirmative, and if he’d reached down to lay a hand on top of the other boy’s and felt him squeeze it, then that was no big deal.

It would have been a big deal if they’d still been holding hands by the time curtain call came around.

(Which they weren’t, for the record.)

After leaving the theatre (though not before stopping to thank all of the actors and instagram [Blaine’s signed playbill](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_md1tb6cAmj1rwrle8.jpg)), they headed back to their hotel. Neither had any desire to call it a night, though, because the city wasn’t asleep yet and their time here was limited. Soon they’d call this place home and be able to spend lazy nights in their dorms, doing nothing, but that wasn’t the purpose of a trip that only spanned a few days (and fewer nights).

Blaine still hadn’t decided what he wanted to do that night, though it wasn’t for a lack of options. As he went into their bathroom to wash his face, Jesse shouted suggestions at him, naming a couple bars and a couple clubs, the movie theatre, the comedy clubs with the promoters that seemingly never slept, and even a few 24-hour restaurants. Maybe it was the fact that he had so many choices, but Blaine seemingly couldn’t make up his mind, so in the end they just decided to start walking and wait for something to jump out at them.

“Do you want something to eat?” Jesse asked, after they’d walked for just a few blocks. ”If you’re hungry, we might as well go now before midnight hits and places do start closing.” It wouldn’t really matter, as plenty of places stayed open all day and all night, but there would be a much larger range in variety this way.

“Not really,” Blaine shook his head, “but I wouldn’t say no to a cafe that isn’t Starbucks.”

“9th it is,” Jesse turned at the corner, Blaine following. They fell into step a few paces later, looking up at the still brightly-lit marquee of the Al Hirschfeld Theatre as they began walking towards it. ”It’s less depressing walking over there, anyway. Stay here too long and we’ll have to watch all the theatres turn out their lights.”

“And the conservation of electricity is depressing?” Blaine shot back, making Jesse’s mouth twitch.

“Shut up,” he shoved him lightly as they passed by the theatre, then pointed at the place next door. ”Look, there’s a place for you. Strippers!” He could practically feel Blaine rolling his eyes.

“Very funny,” he said in a deadpan.

“It could be fu-un,” Jesse teased. ”Maybe you’ll meet another guy who’d sooner stare at his shoes than a naked woman.” He let his voice deepen as he added, “Or maybe you’ll like it.”

“I could always drag you to look at naked men instead,” Blaine elbowed him as they walked past the strip club.

“You say that like it’d be some sort of punishment,” Jesse laughed. ”And it wouldn’t be dragging so much as skipping arm-in-arm through the door. Well, if I wanted to do the whole Wizard of Oz thing.”

“Maybe we should get food,” Blaine said thoughtfully. ”Put something in your mouth to shut you up.” Jesse looked over at him, seeing the smirk on his face and laughing in return.

“What, do you want to go ballroom dancing instead?” Jesse picked the first thing that popped into his head that seemed to make his ‘you’re old fashioned and I’m just kidding’ point.

“That could be fun,” Blaine shrugged.

“Do you actually know how to dance?” Jesse asked, curious. ”The formal ones, I mean.”

“A little,” Blaine nodded.

“Okay,” Jesse stopped walking, taking ahold of Blaine’s hand and pulling him back so they were facing one another. ”But none of your stage expressions. So: man or woman?”

“What?” Blaine seemed lost, so Jesse set his hand on the other’s waist, steering him closer to the buildings before starting a simple two-step. Blaine seemed to fall in-step with him automatically, but then he was protesting. ”Jesse, we’re in the middle of the sidewalk.”

“So?” Jesse didn’t care, but instead pressed harder against Blaine’s waist, trying to get him to move a bit more.

“So we’re in the middle of a sidewalk.”

“And everyone in New York has seen stranger things,” Jesse pointed out. ”Come on, loosen up. It’s like dancing with a mannequin.”

“There’s no music,” Blaine protested this time.

“Sure there is.” And while it was, admittedly, the dull tones of what little was able to escape from the strip club, which was hardly suitable for this type of dancing, it was still music. Besides, if people could do ballet to rock music, Jesse was sure he and Blaine could do some sort of impromptu ballroom dance to whatever was playing in there.

After a couple more awkward steps, Blaine did start to move properly. It was probably throwing him for a loop because Jesse had claimed the man’s role for himself, but hey, tradition stated that the man led the dance and he was the one leading. After Blaine loosened up, Jesse let go of his waist, trying to spin him, except Blaine didn’t really understand what he was trying to do and it ended up being Jesse just lifting his arm and stepping in a half-circle.

“What, are you above twirling?” he teased, tugging Blaine back in and putting his hand back on his waist.

“I don’t twirl in public,” Blaine smirked. Jesse answered by lifting his hand and putting it on Blaine’s shoulder instead, saying, “Well, I do.”

It was kind of nice, even if he was still leading the pair of them. Jesse was convinced Blaine would stop if he relented, so he kept pushing the other around, continually tightening and loosening his hold on Blaine’s shoulder, waiting for him to take the initiative. He spun himself a few times, and when he decided that they were done, stepped around so he was behind Blaine, wrapping both arms around his waist and saying, “See, that wasn’t so bad.”

Blaine laughed.

“I can cross off ballroom dancing in public at night in New York City with another guy off my bucket list,” he decided. ”But I believe we were looking for coffee.”

“When are you not looking for coffee?” Jesse reminded him.

“Fair point,” Blaine conceded. The continued towards 9th, and Blaine slipped his hand into Jesse’s as they walked. He must have stiffened instinctually, because then Blaine was saying, “Oh, so you can dance with me but not hold my hand.”

“Not even close,” Jesse told him, though he did take his hand away. Blaine looked as if he was going to protest in the split second between Jesse pulling away and then stepping closer, but then his arm was resting around Blaine’s shoulders and the other seemed to forget what he’d wanted to say. His own arm wrapped around Jesse’s waist, and they walked in that fashion for a few paces before Jesse decided to speak up again.

“It’s easier for people to walk around us this way. Trust a New Yorker who hates tourists on this.”

Blaine smacked him in the chest with his free hand, but he didn’t pull away.

After finding a small cafe and getting Blaine the coffee he had wanted, they slipped right back to how they’d been holding each other. Jesse would have marveled at how it came naturally, but that was too disgusting a thought to entertain for longer than a few seconds.

They only let go after finding a vacated bench, sitting and sipping their drinks, laced fingers tucked together between their bodies.

Jesse couldn’t remember why he’d assumed it would have been a big deal before.

Even when Blaine leaned in closer, and Jesse kissed his temple, it still wasn’t a big deal.

It only became a big deal when they kissed each other, both turning toward the other and letting their hands wander, mouths hot from their drinks. Blaine ended up scooting practically into Jesse’s lap, but that wasn’t the big deal. The big deal came when they broke apart, both with dazed and slightly confused expressions that soon turned into contented smiles, and realized they’d knocked both of their unfinished coffees onto the ground.

Their arms slid around each other again as they walked back to replace the spilled drinks, occasionally looking over at each other and giggling like children, because a cup of coffee really wasn’t all that much to give up for this.


End file.
